This Trust of Mine (23 page)

I felt my grandmother's thin arms wrap around my lifeless body,
tucking me into her small form.

"He passed shortly after the show. He was so proud of you ,Madison.
I had never seen him look more happy or proud of anyone after seein' you on
that stage."

I clutched her tiny frame to mine. She was my only lifeline left
and I couldn't bring myself to let go of her yet.

A little while later, my grandmother's arms were replaced with
those of the only other person I wanted to see at this moment. I looked up
through wet eyes into ones that mirrored my own. She whispered 'I'm sorry' and
held me close, as I sobbed like a small child into her chest. Knowing I would
never see my grandfather again, tore me in two and I found it hard to move to
the sofa when Kayla urged me to do so. I fell back against the cushions,
closing my heavy eyes. As I slowly drifted off into a light sleep, I felt her
tuck herself into my side and I let a small smile spread across my lips.

I woke up the next morning feelin' as though I drank an entire bar
full of alcohol. My head was pounding and I could barely open my eyes enough to
see where I was going. I went straight to the bathroom and jumped in the
shower. I must've been in there for quite some time, because the water began to
run ice cold. I pulled the curtain back and found Kayla perched on the edge of
the counter, holding out a fresh towel for me.

"You need to eat something." She whispered.

"I know."

I wrapped the towel firmly around my waist before I bent down and
pulled her into me. I felt so empty without her touch and I needed it more than
anything. I pressed my lips to hers immediately. I could taste the salt from my
tears between our lips as I pressed them harder against hers. When I pulled
back, I ran my fingers down the sides of her face. "I love you, Kayla.
More than you'll ever be able to understand."

Her hands pushed through my hair and her lips softly brushed
against mine. "I do understand Madison, because that's how my love is for
you."

Kayla

Cami and I stood in my bedroom looking over ourselves in the
mirror. It was the day of Madison's grandfather's funeral and today more than
any other day, I felt helpless. There hadn't been much that I had been able to
do to console Madison over the last couple of days, but I sure as hell tried.

I ran my hands down my dress, straightening out the hem so it
looked perfect. I glanced over at Cami who was putting on her black patent
leather heels. She looked up, just as I looked in her direction and gave me a halfhearted
smile.

"It'll be okay. I'm here for you if you need me."

"Thanks Cam. There's just one thing I have to do before we
leave."

"Take your time love."

I disappeared behind the splintered, wooden door to the bathroom.
I glanced at myself one last time in the mirror before retrieving the white box
from the small paper bag under the sink. I opened the box and sat the pink and
white stick on the counter, before doing what needed to be done to get the
answers I needed.

I set the stopwatch on my phone and sat on the closed toilet for
what felt like the longest three minutes of my life. When the alarm went off,
alerting me that the three minutes were up, I had a hard time catching my
breath. I pressed my hand firmly to my chest, willing my heart rate to slow,
but it wasn't a possibility at the moment.

I wrangled in my emotions as much as I could, before glancing down
at the tiny stick that would unveil my future. "One line for not pregnant,
two lines for pregnant." I repeated this at least a million times before
finally having the courage to open my eyes. And just like that, I got my
answer.

To be continued...Look for the final chapter
in the Raine Series, The Heart of Mine. Early July 2013